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Rallying as One"In life, we get faced with adversity, and how we respond, that's our character," said head coach Steve Sarkisian after his team showed its collective resilience in the face of its doubters. With all eyes on the defense, the Trojans attacked from the outset, holding the Sun Devils scoreless until late in the third quarter. "We've got to remain aggressive," said the head coach. "When we're at our best, we're attacking you." The post-game locker room busted with pride after a complete team performance. "There's a lot of emotion. We were just hungry to bounce back," said WR JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Amazing Adoree'
Media and coaches alike are running out of superlatives for Adoree' Jackson. Sarkisian understatedly joked that he's a "pretty good player" after a show-stopping performance, totaling a game-high 184 all-purpose yards. "We just wanted to get the guy the ball," said Sarkisian. "At the end of the day, it was just really positive to have him involved in the offense, where he is a threat." Jackson's speed, balance and elusiveness defy description, so just watch the highlights below.
The Dam Broke
After back-to-back games without forcing a turnover, Sarkisian was relentless this week in emphasizing the need to take the ball away. The Trojans got the message loud and clear, responding with an interception and three forced fumbles. "We kept preaching it. Once the dam breaks, it's going to be an onslaught on the ball, and that's what happened, especially in the first half," said Sarkisian. Instead of trying to do too much to make plays, USC found its success by focusing on the details. "Every time we play, that's the main factor, just to do your job," said LB Su'a Cravens. "That's the main goal. Just be disciplined in our assignments, and we can make big plays like that. Tonight, we were just in the right place at the right time."
First Half KnockoutThe biggest turnover came late in the first half with the Trojans leading 21-0. DL Delvon Simmons made a mistake to allow the Sun Devils to break a run to USC's goal line, and then he more than made up for it by blasting the runner to force a fumble, which Chris Hawkins scooped up and returned 94 yards for a touchdown. "I was just thinking, 'How could I make up for this play?'" said DL Delvon Simmons. "Perfect call. Perfect execution. It just set me up to make a big play for the team." Instead of the Sun Devils gaining momentum going into halftime, the Trojans silenced the stadium by leading 35-0 at the break. "The crowd was loud. When the crowd goes silent, that's the best sound in the world," said Smith-Schuster.
Blitz Busters
ASU is known to live by the blitz, but tonight, the Sun Devils died by it. Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Clay Helton tipped their game plan from the opening play, hitting Smith-Schuster on a 52-yard bomb. While the Trojans found it hard to run against a stacked box, Cody Kessler exploited all the one-on-one match-ups and threw for 375 yards and 5 TDs. The USC receivers are thriving on yards after the catch thanks to selfless blocking downfield, which is "a credit to coach [Tee] Martin and what he's doing with that group," said Sarkisian.
The Amazing Race
While things looked bleak after the Stanford loss, a lot can change in one week. Road teams went 5-0 in the Pac-12 this week, and the conference appears wide open for the taking. "We can do whatever we put our mind to," said captain Cravens. Sarkisian was thrilled with tonight's victory, but he wants it to be a mere stepping stone to greater things down the road. "The key is to take this game and then build on it," he said. "We didn't play our best a week ago, but that game's not going to define us. What we do moving forward is going to define us.
Here are the SnappyTV highlights featuring Adoree' Jackson's amazing runs and much more:
